Improved fire and burglar alarm



E. MIDDLETON.

Fire and Burglar Alarm.

Patented Oct. 9, 1866.

[rw n? www@ mn/66666 W f Wy lUNITED STATES PATENT Darren.,

EDWARD MIDDLETON, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVED FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,662, dated October 9, 1866.

Tov all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD MIDDLETON, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire and Burglar Alarms; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and complete description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a top view of the fire-alarm. Fig. 2 is an end view., Fig. 3 is a side view. Fig. 4 is a view of the side opposite from Fig. 3.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several views.

A, Fig. l, is a section of floor, table, or stand, upon which the machine stands. B B are a pair of sides, and are made of brass or any other suitable material, and'are connected together by the bars O O. Passing through the center of the sides is a shaft, D, one end of which is seen to project beyond the side B, and terminates in a square end, which will be referred to hereinafter.

Between the sides and near the side B is a strong coiled spring, E, Fig. 2, the inner end of which is attached to the shaft D, and the outer end to the crossbar O. Between said spring and the side B is a large gear-wheel, F, which is secured to. the shaft by a key or other suitable means. Also upon the shaft,

` and connected to the wheel F, is a ratchetwheel, Gr.

H is a pawl. I is a spring, by the means ot' which the pawl is kept in connection with the ratchet-wheel. J is a shaft, upon which is keyed the wheels K K', the geared wheel K meshing into the wheel F, and by which it is driven, as will be hereinafter shown.

K is a saw-toothed wheel.v L is adouble catch or pawl, and is secured in its proper position to the toothed wheel by the arm M and the standard N. O is a hammer, which, when operated as will be hereinafter shown, strikes against the bell I?, and by which the alarm is given.

Q Q are four spiral springs, surrounding four standards. These standards are for the purpose of retaining the springs in an erect position. It R are yokes, reaching from one standard to the other, and up and down which they move, the standards passing through the yoke for this purpose. The yokes rest upon the top of the springs, and by the means of which they are pressed down by the levers S S, the short arm of the lever being connected to the yoke by the connecting-link T.

U is a lever, one end of which is connected to the side B, the other to arod, W. This rod extends down between the four springs and into the bottom of the machine, for the purpose of giving steadiness to the rod. Near the upper end of this rod is secured a crosspiece, X, which rests upon the top of the yokes, and moves upward and downward with them, as the case may be.

Near the end of the lever attached to the side is a dependent arm, Y, Fig. 2. The pur pose of this arm will be shown hereinafter.

Having thus far described the several parts l of the machine and its construction, I will now explain the manner ofoperatin g the same, which is as follows The machine, on being placed in the desired part of the room,is then connected to the doors and windows by cords Y', one end being fastened to the end of the levers S S, the other to the windows or doors. The cords, on being drawn tight and upward, as a conse quence raise the long arm ofthe lever, at the same time depressing the short arms, to which the yokes are attached, thereby causing a down ward compression of the springs by means of the yokes. This downward movement of the springs is followed by the cross-piece X,wl1ich, as above observed, rests upon the top of the yokes. This cross-piece drops until the dependent arm referred to above lodges between the teeth of the wheel F, and acts as a check to the operation of the machine. The machine, on being thus arranged, is wound up by a key fitting on the projecting end of the shaft D, above described. As the spring` is being wound up it is prevented from unwinding by the pawlAand-ratchet wheel above mentioned. At the same time the machine is prevented from running by the armY in the teeth of the wheel. rIhe machine is now in proper condition to sound an alarm, which may be done by breaking the connecting-cords Y by opening the doors, windows, or by their being burnt off. The levers, on thus being released, cause the reaction of the coiled springs, which, in

2 :pensee 1 The spiral springs Q, yokes R, cross-piece X, firm Y, levers S, and cords Y', as arranged, and 1n combination with the spring E, Wheels F K turn, lforce the dependent arm Y, by means of the lever U, out of the Wheel F. The machine, on being` thus released, runs down, und in so ner und for the purpose set forth.

EDWARD MIDDLETON.

the teeth of the Wheel K is such :is to cause a rapid vibratory action of the hammer, striking the bell in quick successive strokes until the machine hns run down.

Vhat I cla-im as my improvement, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Witnesses:

W. H. BURRIDGE, WM. R. MrDDLnToN.

doing the action of the double pn'wl L upon K,hanmier0, and bell Rztrrangedin the nia-n- 

